


Transitions

by queerwriterbee



Series: Shopping Cart Drag Racers [5]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Alternate Universe - Trans, Bisexual Adam, Bisexual Male Character, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Mild Smut, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Henry, Pansexual Blue, Pansexual Character, Pansexual Henry, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, bisexual gansey, nonbinary noah, there's magic still but its more in the background, trans adam, trans persephone, uhhhh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 01:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15013397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queerwriterbee/pseuds/queerwriterbee
Summary: {***CURRENTLY ON HIATUS WHILE WRITER GETS HIS SHIT TOGETHER***}The past summer had been simultaneously the longest and shortest summer of Adam’s entire fifteen years.It was the longest in that he had to wait three whole months to start at Aglionby, move into his own apartment, be known legally by the right name and gender; shortest in that in only three months, he had passed the entrance exams for Aglionby and secured a spot in the upcoming sophomore class thanks to an academic scholarship and three hard worked jobs with hard earned income, he had moved out of his parent’s double wide, made arrangements for emancipation, a restraining order, and his own living space, and he had filed for the legal change of his name from Eve Marie Parrish to Adam James Parrish, his gender from woman to man.Things weren’t perfect by any means, but they were better and getting better, and that's what mattered.(Or: a retelling of Adam's story in which he is a trans boy)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> I'm writing this for totally self indulgent and self projecting reasons and hope to post new content regularly but I'm really doing this for my own fun so I'm not going to dedicate myself to a schedule. I just thought some of y'all might enjoy or benefit from reading this so I'm gonna post as I go regardless of my lack of strict deadlines for chapters and updates. 
> 
> I'll update tags and ratings if needed as I go. Enjoy!

The first Wednesday of the coming August would mark the first official day Adam Parrish’s life. 

Though his name had technically been changed, legally, the week previous, Adam chose the first Wednesday of August because this would be the day that he started his first of three years at Aglionby Academy. It would be the day he set foot on the path to the rest of his, hopefully to be much improved, life. 

So, maybe it was the first official unofficial first day of Adam Parrish’s life— but, that made the notion sound ridiculous when it was anything but. 

The past summer had been simultaneously the longest and shortest summer of Adam’s entire fifteen years. 

It was the longest in that he had to wait three whole months to start at Aglionby, move into his own apartment, be known legally by the right name and gender; shortest in that in only three months, he had passed the entrance exams for Aglionby and secured a spot in the upcoming sophomore class thanks to an academic scholarship and three hard worked jobs with hard earned income, he had moved out of his parent’s double wide, made arrangements for emancipation, a restraining order, and his own living space, and he had filed for the legal change of his name from Eve Marie Parrish to Adam James Parrish, his gender from woman to man. 

Things weren’t perfect by any means, but they were better and getting better, and that's what mattered. 

 

It was the weekend before his first week at Aglionby and Adam was laying on his hard, thin mattress in his old, dingy, church attic apartment with his best friend Blue’s head pillowed on his stomach. Her loud, colorful presence calmed him in a way that most others couldn’t understand. People who didn’t know Blue Sargent saw her as abrasive, angry, and eccentric— and not in a good way. But, Adam knew better. If it hadn’t been for Blue, Adam probably wouldn’t have survived past sixteen.

“I can’t believe you’re becoming one of them,” Blue spat, her gentle hands toying with Adam’s fingers, undercutting the venom of her words.

Adam laughed. “One of them?”

“A raven boy,” Blue said. Adam could almost hear the grimace in her voice. “How are you going to manage three whole years surrounded by those awful, privileged, egotistical, entitled pricks? I don’t think I’d last a week before stabbing someone.”

Adam ran his fingers through Blue’s short, thick, hair— worn uncharacteristically down for maybe the third time in the entirety of there of their friendship. He couldn’t help but smile despite the violence in her words. He didn’t doubt that there’d be casualties if Blue spent an extended amount of time with raven boys, but none of them would be physical. Blue literally couldn’t hurt a fly— her heart was too soft, too kind, too tender. 

“It’s not a matter of if or how, Blue. I have to manage,” he murmured. “I have to do this if I ever want to make something of myself, go beyond the dirt I was born from.”

“What, you think it’s impossible to do that without Aglionby? Pretty closed minded if you ask me, especially considering they don’t allow girls to attend,” she turned so she could better see Adam’s face. “You think I can’t accomplish things going to public school?” she challenged

Adam shook his head. “Of course not. But, you were born from magic and love, Blue. I was born from dirt and hate. You already have the head start I was never given.”

Blue didn’t answer this, just turned her head back toward the ceiling and gripped his hand fiercely, so tight that Adam could feel his fingers going numb. She knew better than to argue with him over this, knew that no matter how much she wanted to deny it, there was a truth to his words-- even if just barely.

 

Adam had met Blue Sargent when he was thirteen years old. Up until this point, Adam hadn’t had many friends, if he could even say he had any at all. He found it was easier to hide what was happening at home, the filth that flowed through his veins, if he kept to himself. He didn’t need any ties to this town anyway. He didn’t need anything holding him back when he eventually left this place for good. 

But, one day in mid-october of his seventh grade year, Blue had approached him in the world history class they shared. She’d plopped herself down at the desk directly in front of Adam’s, straddling to chair so that she faced him, and slapped a flyer down over the textbook he’d been casually re-reading. The gesture had startled him so much he’d almost fallen out of his seat.

“The GSA is having a Halloween party/fundraiser. This Friday. Join us.”

The confidence of her proposal left no room for argument, so Adam didn’t attempt to. Instead, he gingerly picked up the bright orange flyer and read over the bold, black words printed on it. The chosen font was something jagged and strange, probably meant to look “spooky” for the occasion. 

The paper said that the event would be held to celebrate the holiday as well as raise funds for the local women and children’s center in town. It simultaneously warmed his heart and turned his stomach to read those words. He knew that if he or his mother were different people, he might be one of the unfortunate folk benefiting from this charity. It made him uncomfortable, even if he was glad to know that someone cared about people in situations like his. Even no one had ever cared about his abuse specifically, at least there was this.

Instead of accepting or turning down the invitation, Adam asked instead, “what does GSA stand for?”

Blue rolled her eyes, clearly believing the answer to be obvious and him ignorant for not knowing so. 

“Gay Straight Alliance,” she replied. “We offer a safe space for queer and trans folk as well as allies—straight and cis folk that want to support the community or have loved ones in the community—as well as do some community service and activism on behalf of LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized groups.”

Adam hesitated before asking, “what does trans and cis mean?”

Blue heaved a big sigh, though Adam could tell from the shine of her eyes that she was actually excited that he had asked. 

“Trans is short for transgender— that means someone who identifies with a gender that they were not assigned at birth. So, biologically female people who identify as men, biologically male people identifying as women, folks off the binary—aka people who feel both masculine and feminine, somewhere in the middle, or don’t experience gender at all. Cis is short for cisgender, which is a person who identifies with the gender that they were assigned at birth. Male folk who identify as men, female folk that identify as women.”

Adam blinked, unsure how to respond. He felt like he’d just been introduced to an entire world that he hadn’t known existed until that moment. Even such a brief introduction was a lot to take in. 

Blue seemed to sense this, because she said, “I know it’s a lot. It’s not exactly information that is highly circulated or taught to the general public. But, that’s why we formed the GSA— to educate, support, and take action.”

Adam chewed on his lip before asking, “which are you?”

Blue smirked. “First, the best way to ask that question is ‘how do you identify?’ Second, I identify as a pansexual cis woman. Pansexual means that I’m romantically and sexually attracted to all genders.”

The notion deeply intrigued Adam on a level he hadn’t felt in a long while. He had so many questions he wanted answers to but, he didn’t even know where to begin. He’d suddenly been presented with a world of exploration and options that he hadn’t known existed before that moment— it was utterly mind boggling.

Before Adam could voice any of this, however, the bell signalling that class would be starting rang and Blue stood up to go to her regular seat. 

“Consider coming, alright? Cover charge is only three bucks. It’ll be fun,” she reached out and placed her hand on his. The warmth of the contact was foreign but, incredible. “I promise.”

And despite his better judgement, Adam did think about it. He knew that if his father knew he was attending a party for gay and trans people that he’d have Adam pinned against the wall by his throat in a second. It was dangerous, something that Adam should have easily been able to write off.

But, ever since his conversation with Blue, he couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d told him, couldn’t stop running over the details of this whole other aspect of life that he’d been blind to before their short interaction. Adam just couldn’t bring himself to say no to this opportunity to learn more about it all. 

And that’s how he justified it to himself, too. It wasn’t that he was gay or trans or whatever— he just wanted to be more informed, be more well rounded in his knowledge, to satisfy this new and burning curiosity.

So, the night of the Halloween party, Adam told his father that he’d taken an extra shift at his job bagging groceries at the local Publix and wouldn’t be back till late. Robert Parrish had grunted in response and Adam had wasted no time getting out the door of their double wide, mounting his bike, and booking it toward Henrietta Middle School. 

 

After that night, Adam started regularly attending GSA meetings every Wednesday after school. The meetings were held right before his shift at Publix each week, making it fairly easy to hide his involvement from his dad. 

 

Blue had been ecstatic when he’d shown up the first meeting after the party/fundraiser. Despite the generous turnout at the previous event, the regular members of the GSA were pretty sparse—about ten to twelve people, just barely making the minimum requirement of members to form a club at the school. One of the members—Noah Czerny—didn’t even go to Henrietta Middle, just attended because he knew Blue and didn’t have any other place to go for the sort of safety and camaraderie offered in the group.

“Eve!” Blue’d cried, running up to him with a bright smile on her face. “I’m so glad you decided to come.”

Adam winced at his given name. He’d never particularly liked it and his middle name (Marie. Ugh.) wasn’t much better. 

“I like to go by just my last name,” he said. “Parrish. And thanks. I’m excited to see what you guys are up to.”

“Alright...Parrish,” Blue replied, clearly uncomfortable with the name, but respecting the name regardless. She smiled again and reached for his hand. Adam let her take it, lead him toward the front row of chairs, and plop him down next to a smudgy boy with wild, platinum blonde curls and an assortment of brightly colored yarn bracelets on his left wrist. His eyes where eerily pale, but his smile thawed any coldness they emitted. 

“This is Noah. They don’t go to Henrietta Middle, but they are one of the most committed of our members. They’ll fill you in on how we work while I go help set up the presentation for today.”

Noah turned to Adam as Blue hurried off, offering their hand and a bright smile. 

“Welcome to the club! What was your name? I don’t think Blue said.”

“Eve… but, I prefer my last name—Parrish,” Adam explained sheepishly. “I’ve never felt like Eve was really… me, I guess.” 

Noah nodded as if they understood. Adam could almost believe that they did.

“Ever think about changing it?” they asked. 

The bluntness and simplicity with which the question was asked shocked him and the possibility it offered rendered him speechless. Just like that first day Blue had approached him, Adam felt his world expand with the options the question offered.

Before Adam could even begin to think of a response, Blue was standing at the front of the classroom they were using for the meeting and calling for everyone’s attention. The projector screen had been pulled down over the whiteboard and a too bright, dizzyingly colorful Google slides presentation projected onto it. The bold title in an absolutely obnoxious font read, “More than One: the Differences between Bi, Pan, Poly, and Omnisexual.”

 

After that meeting, Adam quietly started identifying as bisexual, and it didn’t take long for him to start questioning his gender identity as well.

The changes were subtle and slow: he started wearing his hair up more often than not, cutting it as short as he could while still being able to pull it back (as well as avoid his father’s anger). He wore clothes that concealed his chest and hips (though there wasn’t much there to begin with thanks to malnutrition) and had a more masculine shape and design to them. He became more insistent upon people not using his given name. He even tried to lower the pitch of his speaking voice, though he found it hurt if he went too low, so it didn’t make a tremendous difference. 

Regardless, Adam had felt more comfortable with himself than he had in a long time.

 

It was Blue that first suggested that Adam might not be cis, though not directly. It started with a worn binder and roll of KT tape in his locker one morning with a printed out article on the safest ways to bind one’s chest. Then it was an emailed link to a YouTube video on voice lowering exercises and techniques (Adam spent an embarrassing amount of time listening to it in the library and practicing them out in the private study rooms). Next it was a suspicious amount of presentations and group exercises on gender affirmation and transition at GSA meetings and Blue making a point to introduce him to every single trans and nonbinary person she knew.

However, it was Noah that handed him the final piece for Adam’s mind to finally put the puzzle together. 

“You know,” they’d said to Adam over pizza at Nino’s one day. Blue had just gotten a job there as a hostess now that she was of hiring age and it had since become a regular haunt for the two. “You’ve always seemed like more of an Adam than an Eve to me.”

The comment had sent a flare of anger through his body at first, though he was able to recognize it as “internalized transphobia” (thanks Blue) and pushed it aside. He mulled the comment over in his mind, so long that Noah’s expression had gone from teasing to nervous. Just as they were about to say something, probably another teasing comment that Adam would know instantly was an apology, he replied:

“Maybe I am.”

 

The next week Adam came out to both Blue and Noah as trans masculine and the week after he came out to the rest of the GSA, asking to be called Adam and for masculine pronouns only to be used in reference to him. Adam knew he didn’t have to tell the members to keep this information to themselves— what happened at GSA, stayed in GSA. Growing up in a small Southern town, the members knew all too well how dangerous it could be to out someone against their will. It wasn’t even a question. 

Of course, because nothing in Adam’s life ever went his way, his father found out anyway. 

To be fair, Adam could have been more careful. He could  have hid his binder and tape more carefully, explicitly told the GSA not to tell anyone about him, not let his impatience get the better of him and allow Blue to cut his hair short. 

At least, that’s what he told himself. Sometimes it was easier to take blame than admit your patent was a monster.

It was the latter that did it, really. And deep down, Adam had known that it would. Maybe he was self destructive, or maybe he was just tired of pretending. Pretending he was straight, pretending he was cis, pretending he was happy at home, pretending he wasn’t starving and exhausted and covered in bruises. 

The night Adam came home with his newly shorn hair was the same day his father found his binder, the same day he beat the hearing out of Adam’s left ear. If Blue hadn’t had her mom drive back toward the double wide to give him the math textbook he’d forgotten in their car, it might have been the day he died. 

After that night, Adam knew he couldn’t keep living the way he had been. He wanted to stop merely surviving. He wanted to thrive. 

With the help of the women of 300 Foxway, Adam pressed charges against his father, earning emancipation and a restraining order preventing Robert Parrish from coming anywhere within 300 feet of his son. He stayed with them until he found the bright green flyer advertising the available apartment for rent above St. Agnes Catholic Church. He applied for Aglionby (which he did not tell Blue until after he’d received his letter of acceptance and scholarship award) under his soon to be new name, and with the attained knowledge and experience of Persephone (who had come out, transitioned physically, and transitioned legally in a time far more dangerous for trans people to do so—especially trans women.) made that name legally his. 

If it hadn’t been for Blue Sargent, Adam Parrish wasn’t sure where he’d be at all.

 

“You know that my going to Aglionby won’t change anything between us, right?” Adam said after a long moment of silence. “You know that no matter what, you will always be my best friend, right?”

Blue smiled up at him and raised her hand to stroke the back of her knuckles against his cheek. 

“Oh, I know, Adam,” she replied. “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite what should have been going through his head—excitement, determination, eagerness to meet the people and absorb the information that would lead him down a new path to a new life—all Adam could think walking down the halls of Aglionby Academy was whether or not someone had noticed how obviously he didn’t belong there.
> 
> He knew that if someone really looked at Adam, they’d see the frays of his second hand uniform, the puffy, feminine fat on his face, the uneven cut of his dusty hair, the slight curve of hips that his two large sweater did nothing to hide, they’d see right through him. He knew that if someone really looked at him, they’d see the little girl born of dust and dirt that he really was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you all for your comments and kudos. I really appreciate the constructive criticism and praise. I'm really excited about this piece and I'm so glad that others are, too. 
> 
> There's a sneak peak of Ronan's POV in this chapter. I wasn't sure whether I should split the POVs in this fic or not, but ultimately decided I love Ronan too much to not write in his POV. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Despite what should have been going through his head—excitement, determination, eagerness to meet the people and absorb the information that would lead him down a new path to a new life—all Adam could think walking down the halls of Aglionby Academy was whether or not someone had noticed how obviously he didn’t belong there. 

He knew that if someone really looked at Adam, they’d see the frays of his second hand uniform, the puffy, feminine fat on his face, the uneven cut of his dusty hair, the slight curve of hips that his two large sweater did nothing to hide, they’d see right through him. He knew that if someone really looked at him, they’d see the little girl born of dust and dirt that he really was. 

Adam tried to push these thoughts as far away from him as he could, putting all his focus into his classes, memorizing his way around campus, running over his work schedule in his head (he had a shift at Boyd’s right after school, a night shift at the trailer factory his father had got him a job at before he’d moved out, then an early morning stocking shelves at his promoted position at  Publix before school the next day) and where he could fit in homework in it. He kept his head down and tried to go unnoticed throughout the day instead of of eagerly engaging his peers and the faculty like he wanted to. It managed to keep the anxiety at bay long enough to get him through the school day, but just barely.

Blue had come by St. Agnes between shifts to check up on him, ease the nerves she knew had probably been plaguing him all day. She’d even brought one of Persephone’s pies, knowing Adam would be unable to refuse the gift and how desperately he needed the carbs and calories. 

He managed to go the rest of the short first week like this without incident. But, the next Monday his peaceful facade was shattered by the incredible badgering of Tad Carruthers. 

 

~~~~~

 

When Ronan first saw the boy on campus he knew instantly that he hated him. 

He didn’t need to know anything except the way just the sight of him made his stomach twist in painfully pleasant knots, his neck and cheeks heat up, and his mouth dry up. He didn’t need to know anything except the way he couldn’t stop staring at the way his chapped, knobby, long fingered hands moved as he took notes in the Latin, English, and biology classes they shared, his teeth sunk into his lower lip when he obviously knew the answer to a question, but was too self conscious to raise his hand, his furrowed brows when he struggled to understand a concept or problem. He didn’t need to know anything except the way this strange and beautiful boy made him feel things he’d been trying so desperately, for so long to hide from himself. 

Ronan knew he hated Adam Parrish from the moment he heard his southern honey voice and knew that he didn’t hate him at all. 

 

~~~~~

 

Adam was sitting in his seat in Latin class-- third row from the front, fifth seat from the right-- when the other boy dropped down in the desk behind his and tapped insistently on his shoulder. Adam had a strange sense of dejavu in the moment; it reminded him a lot of his first meeting with Blue. Though, from Adam’s experience of Tad so far, he doubted this encounter would result in a deep, meaningful friendship like the one with Blue so many years before. 

Adam supposed it was unfair to judge the other boy so prematurely, but the pure douche baggery that came off him in waves, that he embodied in every single action, was enough to convince Adam that no matter what hidden depths may lie within his classmate weren’t worth the effort of wading through the entitlement and obnoxious behavior. 

“It’s Adam, right?” Tad asked, quirking a brow and giving Adam a cocky smile. 

Adam nodded, eyeing the other boy warily. He knew that Tad already knew his name-- they shared two classes and Adam--despite his resolution to remain as unnoticed as possible-- was fairly participatory in both of them. 

“Tad,” he said with a thrust of his hand. Of course, Adam already knew this. Tad was equally, if not more, participatory in their classes. The difference was Adam engaged to learn--Tad engaged to show off. “Tad Carruthers. Crew member, student body treasurer, and president of the Coffee and Culture Club.”

Adam took Tad’s outstretched hand and gave it a firm but short shake while wondering what a privileged white boy could possibly have to contribute to a conversation about culture. Even if he was only half Native and had never had a ton of contact with his Nottoway heritage, he was sure he had more culture in his pinkie than Tad had in his entire body. Also, a  _ school _ club about  _ coffee? _ Really?

But, again, who was he to judge so prematurely?

Adam was pulled out of his judgmental musings by the intense gaze being directed at him. He didn’t like the predatory glint in Tad’s eyes. He made a note to keep physical contact at a minimum for the rest of their interaction.

“Adam Parrish,” he answered once he’d retrieved his hand back. “No titles worth sharing.”

Tad laughed. It was loud and nasal and seemed far too enthusiastic for the slightly humorous remark. Several heads turned in their direction and Adam felt his neck and ears flushing.

“Well, that’s because you’re new here, right?” Tad said. “I don’t recognize you from last year.” 

Adam ducked his head to hide his flushing cheeks. 

“Yeah… I decided to transfer this year.” 

Tad beamed. “So, it’s true that you’re a local on scholarship then?” 

Adam gave a weak smile and nodded. He hoped his anxious thoughts didn’t show on his face. Adam didn’t like the idea of people talking about him, especially in regards to his financial status. 

“You must be incredibly smart then, huh, Parrish?” 

Adam couldn’t tell if Tad was being genuine or mocking him, perhaps suggesting that he must be a genius in order to make up for all the reasons he wasn’t worthy of Aglionby.

Before Adam could think of a response, another student stomped over to where they were seated-- a tall, lean muscled, sharp looking boy with a buzzed head, icy blue eyes with a piercing gaze, and his uniform in complete disarray. 

Adam was struck by how beautiful and utterly terrifying this boy was-- maybe so terrifying because of how beautiful he was. He dismissed the thought immediately.

“Get the fuck out of my seat, Carruthers.” 

Tad sniffed at this, jutting out his chin in defiance. 

“I don’t see your name on it, Lynch,” he sneered. “Since when do you show up to class anyway? It hardly matters where you sit if you’re going to be absent eighty percent of the time.” 

Ronan’s expression stayed steady and hard as he loomed over them, not showing any sign of Tad’s jibes getting to him. If anything, he looked bored with the other boy’s attempt at wounding him.

“Why the sudden change in seating anyway, Tad?” Ronan said the name like one might say ‘wart’ or ‘toe fungus.’ His tone was cruel and ice cold. “Finally found the balls to flirt with the new kid? Oh don’t try and deny it we’ve all seen you gawking at him like a fucking lovesick puppy.” 

Tad went bright red at this and immediately stood up, turning on his heel and muttering curses at the other boy under his breath. The quick change in attitude startled Adam-- he’d expected more of a fight from the notoriously mouthy Tad-- though, he was more thrown off by this Lynch boy’s accusations and Tad’s flushed face than anything else.

Lynch rolled his eyes and threw himself into “his” seat with far more force than necessary, no bag to unpack or tuck away to be seen. As he passed by, Adam saw a thick, sharp, black line hooking up out of the other boy’s shirt up onto his neck. The ink contrasted starkly against his pale skin. 

Adam almost wanted to turn around and thank the sharp boy for intervening when he did-- he could sense that Tad was headed towards dangerous territory with his privilege inhibiting his ability say something not insulting, by accident or otherwise. 

And though he doubted that Lynch’s accusations were true, if Tad really did like him, Adam wanted those feelings nipped in the butt as soon as possible. It wasn’t that Adam had a problem with boys flirting with him-- obviously--he just didn’t want boys like  _ Tad _ flirting with him. 

Adam dismissed this urge, however, sensing that Lynch wouldn’t necessarily care about or appreciate the gratitude. And, quite frankly, Adam didn’t want to give the impression that he couldn’t fend for himself. Adam Parrish didn’t need anyone’s help. All he needed was himself. 

Class started and he easily forgot the incident, the memory far in the back of his mind by the time he was unchaining his bike at the end of the day to head back to his homely apartment. His schedule that day was blessedly clear and he planned on using the free time to get ahead on homework for the week, visiting Blue and the other ladies of 300 Foxway, and then hopefully going to bed considerably early and sleeping through till morning. 

His plans were derailed when he came across an obnoxiously orange Camaro smoking and moaning on the side of the road with a very distressed looking raven boy staring hopelessly under the propped up hood. 

Normally, Adam wouldn’t have stopped, wouldn’t have wasted precious time that he often had too little of, for an entitled, prickish raven boy. But, he was feeling charitable that day and found himself pulling his bike up beside the wailing vehicle to offer his assistance. 

“Need some help there?” he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. He’d been suddenly hit with a bought of nerves and didn’t want the other boy to see how jittery he was. “I work over at Boyd’s Body and Paint downtown… I might be able to fix it up or at the very least pinpoint what’s wrong.” 

The other boy’s head shot up, making bold eye contact with Adam, so strong that Adam found it a little difficult to hold. The air of which this raven boy carried himself was like that of a politician sure of winning a presidential election, an Oscar nominee sauntering onto stage to give his acceptance speech, a king in his own right. 

Adam was simultaneously intimidated by and envious of the boy’s confidence and the clear well-breeding behind it. Adam was sure that he had never gone a day without food, worked tirelessly through double and triple shifts just to make ends meet. He was everything Adam wanted and resented at the same time. 

“No,” the boy replied curtly, sending shame and annoyance coursing through Adam’s body. But, before Adam could turn to pick up his bike and leave, the boy continued. “I want you to show me how to fix it. What’s the point of owning a car like this if I don’t even know how it works?”

Shocked and pleased with the response, Adam carefully removed and folded his uniform sweater, rolled up his shirt sleeves and pant legs and rounded the car to take a look at the engine. 

The problem was too much to fix without proper tools and new parts, but with the other boy’s meager tool kit and some will power, Adam got the mess of a car into a place where it at the very least could get the boy home and to an auto shop later in the day. The whole while Adam was sure to point out and explain the exact problems and how to stave them off for the time being, translating certain terms into something more understandable when asked. 

“I honestly wouldn’t have even known where to start with any of this,” the boy beamed as he hopped behind the wheel of his now barely functioning Camaro. “I can’t thank you enough-- what did you say your name was?” 

“I didn’t say,” Adam replied, thrusting his hand forward as he spoke. “But, it’s Adam. Adam Parrish.” 

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard about you--nothing but good things, I assure you. Lovely to make your acquaintance, Adam Parrish,” the other boy answered brightly, giving Adam’s grease stained hands a hearty shake. “I’m Richard Campbell Gansey-- the third. Atrocious name, I know, but it’s a family one. I prefer to just use my last name, Gansey.”

Adam had a surge of sympathy of Gansey, remembering when he’d had a less than appealing name and was forced to use his surname in its stead. Adam nodded and gave a slight smile in the Gansey’s direction. 

“Likewise,” he said. “I’ll see you around, I guess.” 

Gansey smiled. “I certainly hope so,” he said, driving off the roadside and off to wherever rich, presidential raven boys go when they’re not at school. 

It was the first real interaction-- the first wanted interaction-- Adam had had in his past six weeks at Aglionby. It left him feeling a sense of hope and worth that he hadn’t felt since he first applied for his scholarship, since he had his name legally changed. 

He found himself smiling as he boarded his bike and headed back to his meager apartment, feeling the rush of possibility with every pump of his legs. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Noah?” 
> 
> Noah’s head popped up at their name, reminding Adam much of one of those Whack-a-Mole games. Their face lit up immediately upon sight of Adam, their smile wide enough to split his face in half. 
> 
> “Adam! What are you doing here?”
> 
> “What are you doing here?” Adam sputtered, taking the seat across from them. “We’ve known each other for years and you’ve never mentioned that you go to Aglionby.” 
> 
> Noah merely shrugged, their smile still brightening his face. 
> 
> “You never asked.” 
> 
> Adam frowned. He supposed this was true, but he still couldn’t believe that it had never come up in conversation. Noah was a year older than him-- they would have met right when they started at Aglionby. That hardly seemed like something someone would just fail to mention. 
> 
> Gansey cleared his throat, grabbing both boys’ attention. He looked absolutely delighted at Adam and Noah’s apparent long standing friendship. Adam hadn’t realized the other boy was so easily pleased. 
> 
> “Oh, this is great!” he exclaimed, his hands folding together in front of his chest. “How on earth did you two meet?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Been a bit, but I warned you about that in the beginning :P this a shorter chapter but I liked where it ended and ya know sometimes it just be like that. 
> 
> Comments, kudos, shares, all that jazz welcomed and appreciated! All the feedback I've gotten thus far has been so great and I'm so thankful for you guys. :)

Gansey approached Adam almost exactly the moment he stepped out of his chemistry class the next afternoon and he nearly fell over with the surprise of it. 

“Oh! Goodness, are you alright?” Gansey said, reaching out to steady Adam. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” 

Adam breathed in and out a deep breath, righting himself and patting Gansey’s hand to let him know he had a handle of himself. 

“It’s fine,” he replied, annoyed at how breathless he sounded. “What’s up? Everything still alright with your car?” 

Gansey beamed at this, as if Adam would have forgotten their interaction in less than twenty-four hours. 

“Yes, the Pig is running great-- well, as great as it can-- thanks to your expertise.” Adam couldn’t help but puff his chest out with pride. “No, I wanted to ask you to join me for lunch,” Gansey continued, “if you don’t mind.”

They had already started down the hall towards the cafeteria at this point and Adam’s gait faltered in surprise to the offer. He hardly expected that Gansey meant it when he said he “certainly hoped” to see him again. He thought he’d just been trying to be polite. What could he, Virginian Prince, King of Aglionby, possibly expect to gain from a companionship with Adam?

They were eight weeks into the semester at this point, just beginning their midterm exams and projects, and Adam had gotten into the routine of spending his lunches in the library. It’s not like he could afford the food or had anyone to sit with. Might as well use the free time to catch up on work he and free up some hours for sleep later. 

But, Adam had to admit that the last few weeks had been quite lonesome. He already acutely felt the his social and class separation from his classmates and the physical separation only added to his imposter syndrome. 

It would be nice to have at least one person on his team, if Gansey was offering some sort of friendship between them. 

Noticing Adam’s hesitation, Gansey hurried to add, “don’t feel pressured to accept if you don’t want to. The choice is truly yours and I won’t be offended if you decline.” 

Adam felt his lips quirk upward at Gansey’s earnestness. “No,” he said. “I think I’d like that--lead the way.”

They made small talk as they walked the rest of the way to the cafeteria and through the line for food-- Adam was thankful for Gansey’s silence on Adam’s lack of a purchase-- before Adam came to a full stop when he saw the table Gansey was leading them towards. 

But, it wasn’t the table itself that halted Adam in his tracks, but rather one particular occupant in the booth against the wall. 

“Noah?” 

Noah’s head popped up at their name, reminding Adam much of one of those Whack-a-Mole games. Their face lit up immediately upon sight of Adam, their smile wide enough to split his face in half. 

“Adam! What are you doing here?” 

“What are  _ you  _ doing here?” Adam sputtered, taking the seat across from them. “We’ve known each other for years and you’ve never mentioned that you go to Aglionby.” 

Noah merely shrugged, their smile still brightening his face. 

“You never asked.” 

Adam frowned. He supposed this was true, but he still couldn’t believe that it had never come up in conversation. Noah was a year older than him-- they would have met right when they started at Aglionby. That hardly seemed like something someone would just fail to mention. 

Gansey cleared his throat, grabbing both boys’ attention. He looked absolutely delighted at Adam and Noah’s apparent long standing friendship. Adam hadn’t realized the other boy was so easily pleased. 

“Oh, this is great!” he exclaimed, his hands folding together in front of his chest. “How on earth did you two meet?” 

Adam hesitated, not sure how to respond. While Gansey seemed nice enough, that didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t a homophobe or transphobe. This was Southeast America after all-- even if it wasn’t as horrible as the rest of the nation liked to make it out to be, it wasn’t totally false that bigotry was much more… explicit, here.

Plus, he had no idea if Noah was out at school. He wouldn’t blame them if they weren’t, Adam sure as hell didn’t plan on outing himself to these entitled, silver spoon elitists any time soon. 

Thankfully, Noah interrupted them before either one of them could respond by waving his arms wildly above his head as he saw someone behind Adam and Gansey. 

“Oh, fantastic,” Gansey said. “The rest of the gang has arrived. Adam, meet Ronan Lynch and Henry Cheng, respectively. Ronan, Henry: Adam Parrish.” 

Adam felt his ears and neck flush at the as the other two boys approached. Because the boy leading the two was none other than his surly savior from his Latin class. While the other boy-- Henry Cheng, Adam forced himself to remember-- leapt forward to offer his hand, Ronan merely looked him up and down with an arched brown and downard quirk of his lips before taking a seat beside Noah and across from Gansey. Adam quickly took Henry’s hand as distraction from the appraising glare of his companion.

“Nice to meet you,” Adam said, giving Henry’s hand a proper shake and hoping his sudden nervousness hadn’t leaked into his voice.

“Same to you,” Henry chirped, throwing himself down beside Gansey and placing his hand on the latter’s thigh. “Gansey boy here hasn’t shut up about you since you fixed his orange monstrocity yesterday.”

Gansey flushed--a feat Adam wouldn’t have thought anyone was capable of drawing from the boy up until this point-- and lightly shoved Henry with his shoulder. Though, he didn’t deny the latter’s claims. Ronan grunted in assent, though looking far more annoyed while Henry looked amused. 

“I don’t blame him, personally,” Noah jumped in. “Adam is the greatest.” 

Adam felt himself blush again, but he gave Noah a genuine smile. He was so glad to have a guaranteed alley at the school now that he knew that Noah was here. 

Ronan quirked a brow at this, less hostile and more confused and intrigued this time. 

“Adam and I know each other from that club at Mountain View I go to all the time,” Noah explained. This seemed to sate Ronan’s curiosity, at least a little. He fell back into his default glare easily and began attacking his burger without any other comment. 

“Oh, great! That means it’s problem telling you,” Gansey said. He placed his hand on top of Henry’s on his thigh, giving it a light squeeze before turning to Adam, “Henry is my partner. We’ve been together several months now.” 

Henry leaned forward to give Gansey a peck on the cheek and Adam’s heart nearly burst. This was all too good to be true. 

Ronan groaned. “Why can’t you just say boyfriend like a normal person?”  he spat, not caring about the food in his mouth on display. 

Gansey sniffed at this, jutting out his chin. “I like partner. It implies a more serious level of commitment and is one of the few gender neutral terms for significant others’ that isn’t a mouthful.” 

“I personally prefer date-mate,” Noah said, grinning around the straw of their juicebox. 

Ronan rolled his eyes at them, but Adam could see the smirk he was trying and failing to suppress. 

“I’m friends with a bunch of fucking gay ass nerds,” he said, eliciting a fit of laughter from the rest of the group and a slight smile from Ronan. 

Adam smiled. For the first time since his arrival at Aglionby, he felt like he might just belong. 

“So, Adam,” Gansey said. “What do you know about Welsh kings?”

 

~~~~~

 

From that first lunch forward, Adam seemed to be officially inducted into their group and it was driving Ronan insane. 

On one hand, he was ecstatic to have more opportunities to spend time in the beautiful boy’s presence, more opportunities to gaze at his gorgeous hands and adorable freckles, more opportunities to hear his honey smooth accent that he far too often tried to clip.

On the other hand, he made Ronan feel like a lovesick idiot and he fucking hated both Adam and himself for it. Ronan wanted both to kiss Gansey’s feet in thanks for bringing them into their friend group and sock in the jaw for ruining his fucking life. 

And that was another thing-- Gansey. He was goddamn obsessed with the guy. And it wasn’t like Ronan could blame him; Adam was incredible. But, that didn’t mean Ronan felt any less threatened or jealous by his sudden occupation of his best friend’s attention and time. 

So, all and all, Ronan was fucked and he was being an absolute ass because of it. He knew this, and much as he knew it was doing him more harm than good, he just had no self control and couldn’t stop the steady flow of insults and jabs he sent Adam’s way. 

Unlike everyone else at the school-- not including his other three established friendships-- however, Adam didn’t let these verbal assaults get to him. In fact, he almost seemed to enjoy engaging Ronan in his provocations, verbally sparring and rolling with the punches that leapt from Ronan’s tongue. 

Ronan hated him and wanted to drown in his stupid, beautiful turquoise eyes.


End file.
